As Bette Davis said, “Getting old is not for sissies.” Here, the fabulous fashionistas reveal their style secrets, as well as their philosophy for living. Their advice is inspiring – to any generation.

1Find your style. “Knowing yourself is very important,” says Daphne. “Most of my clothes are from my past. I’ve built up quite a collection over the years.”

2 Look chic but not crazy. “Everything I wear has a story,” says Sue. “I take my art out of the home and wear it. But, at the same time, I try to keep a certain amount of elegance with me.”

3 Think colour. “Wear orange, pink, yellow,” says Bridget, “sometimes all at the same time. In older age, you don’t want to blend into the background. Keep on standing out. Older people often feel they’re finished so they fade away.”

4Avoid anything too fussy. “As you get older, you need to avoid frills and fluff,” says Gillian. “Simplicity and straight lines are key.”

5By not slavishly following trends, you stay ahead of the curve. “I’ve always loved jumpsuits and now they’re very fashionable again,” says Bridget. “I find that I love a certain style and then it is suddenly back in fashion.”

6Comfy shoes are a must. “The oldest part of my body is my feet,” says Sue, who’s a fan of sequined high-tops and Crocs.

7As are scarves – although belts should be avoided. “I’m inclined to wear a scarf to hide the strings of my neck,” says Daphne, who also points out that, since shrinking slightly with age, she has stopped wearing belts. “The shrinkage means your hips are closer to your ribs, and belts become uncomfortable.”

9 And find your inspiration in unusual sources. “I’m interested in art and often find my inspirations there, especially in the Pre-Raphaelites and in Klimt,” says Daphne. Sue loves Ari Seth Cohen’s website, Advanced Style. “He has put old ladies into the zeitgeist.”

10Don’t just stick to the high street. Baroness Trumpington has a guilty pleasure: catalogue shopping. “When you start finding it hard work to read a book, it’s very nice to read catalogues,” she says. “I absolutely love them. It’s a good way of buying clothes, from your pants to your overcoats. And incredibly reasonably priced.”

11Learn some simple dress-making skills. Says Jean (who is a big fan of Topshop and Urban Outfitters): “I don’t like anything that clings to my bum, so I often buy things a size larger and then take them in at the top.”

12 In fact, keep on learning. “I had my eyebrows done properly at a make-up counter recently,” says Jean. “I bought a brush from them, and I’m now learning to do them myself. One of my friends said, ‘Jean, you’re 76, why are you worrying about eyebrows?’ But I like to keep on learning.”

13 Don’t let grooming slip. Gillian swears by facial massage – “it gets the muscles going” – while the Baroness gets her hair done every week. Daphne never leaves the house without make-up: “A little for every day; more for the evening. And I always take it off before bed.”

14 Embrace change. “I went from being a successful cookery writer to being an artist,” says Sue. “My agent thought I had lost my mind; my family thought I had gone mad. But there is no such thing as retirement. I switched from one career to another – you have to keep on going and have a purpose.”

15View young people as inspiring, not alien. “I live in the East End of London and find it so inspiring,” says Sue. “All the young people and the graffiti.” Jean, meanwhile, admits that her grandchildren love the way she dresses – “their friends say, ‘I wish my grandma dressed like yours'” – and a friend’s 17-year-old daughter recently wanted to know where she had bought one of her dresses. “That was good!”

16 Stay in shape. “There’s no point buying fabulous clothes if you haven’t got a fabulous body,” says Gillian. “You have to keep the spine supple. I believe in floor work – you can be more flexible on the floor and you’re less likely to hurt yourself.”

17Watch your diet – but enjoy the odd vodka. “It can be a pretty dreary landscape,” says Gillian, “but when I feel sorry for myself, I think, ‘Well, I ate those croissants in my twenties and thirties, when I could eat what I wanted.’ ” Her treat is a dry martini. “When my first hip went, a doctor recommended I do yoga every morning, drive through the pain, and then at 6pm, pour myself a large glass of the purest, most expensive vodka. It did the trick!”

18Keep on working. “I have no intention of ever retiring,” says Gillian. “When I hear that someone is retiring, I think, ‘Urgh, now they’ll go’. And then they drop off the planet. We need to have a purpose in life.”

19Keep curious. “It’s important to do things to stay alive,” says Bridget. “I work as a gardener, go to exhibitions, films. Recently I became quite ill and I wasn’t able to get out. I realised what it is like when people just give up.”

20Avoid cosmetic surgery. “Botox? Don’t do that,” says Daphne. “It’s better to grow old gracefully – or disgracefully, as may be the case.”

21Take risks. “I don’t give a damn if I shock people,” says the Baroness. “I was much more careful when I was younger.” Jean agrees: “You need to be bold.” Her fashionably short fringe is a case in point. “I wasn’t worried about taking the risk – it’s hair, it just grows back.”

22Love life. “After all,” says Daphne, “You don’t get a second chance.”

23Turn heads. “I have always dressed like this,” says Bridget. “When I was in my twenties, no one used to stop me in the street and gush, ‘You look marvellous!’ But as you grow older, a lot of women don’t like dressing up. They should – it’s still fun.”

24Don’t think about your age. “You have to pit yourself against the ageing process,” says Gillian. “The moment you give it an inch, life or illness will take a mile.”

Ari Seth Cohen, 33, is the creator of the blog Advanced Style. Before becoming a blogger, he spent several years working in fashion production and retail management in New York City. His blog is devoted to capturing the sartorial savvy of the senior set. He tries to feature people who live rich creative lives and live life to the fullest, age gracefully and continue to grow and challenge themselves.

Ari has a long time interest in clothing and style and a lifelong affinity for elders. When he was growing up, his late grandmother (a librarian) was his best friend and constant influence. He couldn’t help but question the absence of mature faces in the fashion world, noticing a lack of older people in fashion campaigns and street style sites. He wants to show the world that you can be stylish, creative and vital at any age.

Working with Debra Rapaport was the best way to achieve this goal. Debra, who was shy and intense as a child, found her self-expression and creative hope in museums and antiques. Not content with her prestigious job and secure life, Debra wanted to break free and express her creativity. Apart from working on her project, Hat Scapes, she has worked with Ari has on several blogs, books and movie and other innovative projects. Today, they are together the ambassadors of the Advanced Style movement and celebrate every moment of their life.